Trying the Metro

Metro! has been one of the most popular restaurants in the Roanoke Valley for a long time. It’s known for having a great atmosphere with one of the best bars in town while also serving really creative and delicious food. It has also received numerous local awards for having great sushi. All this being said, Metro! still hadn’t been given the From Ballparks to BBQ test. They have a sushi happy hour every day from 5:30pm – 6:30pm so my wife and I decided to meet there recently for an early dinner. Many of the rolls from the sushi menu are half-price during the happy hour special and I was looking forward to trying a few different items for a reasonable price. We arrived around 6:00pm and there was already a good crowd between the bar and dining room. By the time we left, the restaurant was full and there were people waiting in the lobby. If you’re planning on going for dinner on a weekend, I recommend making reservations. This is probably the most hip/modern looking restaurant in Downtown Roanoke. Between the open bar area and the long booth with pillows along the wall and dark lighting, it’s an atmosphere you don’t really see anywhere else in the area. Metro! describes itself as having a “stylish, Metropolitan atmosphere” and I’d tend to agree.

As for the sushi, we tried to order things that would provide a good mix of flavors. I chose the Metro Roll, Crispy Beef Roll, Tempura Shrimp Roll, and Green Goddess. The Metro Roll was similar to a California Roll in that it came with crab, cucumber, and avocado in a soy wrapper with a spicy cream sauce. The Crispy Beef Roll had crispy beef, stir fry vegetables, & scallion in a soy wrapper with a kabayaki sauce. The Tempura Shrimp Roll featured tempura shrimp, sesame, scallion, and kabayaki sauce. And the Green Goddess was a roll with avocado sesame wakame, red pepper, and wasabi aioli. I believe each roll was about eight pieces and this was a ton of food for two people. Our sushi wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly great either. I wasn’t impressed with the crispy beef roll as that seems like a strange ingredient to put in sushi but the metro roll and tempura shrimp roll were better. However, I didn’t think the sauces on any of the rolls really added anything. In my mind, sushi rolls contain great ingredients that are extremely fresh, which allows the flavors to really stand out. I didn’t get that impression with any of the sushi I was eating at Metro! With each roll being half-price, our dinner ended up costing around $30. That’s not a bad price for two people to have that much sushi but I would have been really disappointed if we'd paid $60 for the same thing. Many say Metro! serves the best sushi in Roanoke and I have to disagree. I don’t know if they even make the top three considering what’s being served at Wasabi’s, Ben Gui, and Café Asia. I think if I ever dine at Metro! again, I’ll choose something from the regular menu instead of the sushi menu. Maybe then I’ll be more impressed.

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

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